Four New Questions for Your Seder

Sparking discussion on some of Passover’s most important themes.

Jews love questions. So it’s no surprise that the Seder, commemorating the birth of our people, is structured in a question/answer format. Participants are meant to ask and to spark lively discussion and exploration.

In this spirit, let me add to the Seder’s four questions an additional four that pick up on some of the most important themes to contemplate at the Passover table.

1. A question on the main theme of the Seder

Why do we call it the Seder?

“Seder” means order. And Jewish commentators explain that the most important idea of the holiday is that history is not happenstance but rather that it follows a divinely decreed order. When God took us out of Egypt we discovered that God didn’t exhaust His connection with the world by creating it; He continues to maintain an ongoing and caring relationship with those who love Him.

God took us out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage, so that we could forevermore know that He is involved with our lives.

Whatever happens to us isn’t coincidence; it’s God’s will. The events of our lives follow a script written by God. The existential meaningless of life viewed from an atheist’s perspective is replaced by the faith of a believer who knows that there is a Seder, a heavenly decreed order, to the seemingly strange but ultimately profound stories of our lives.

A close friend of mine who became religious later in life and who lives in Los Angeles shared with me this story. As a way of publicly acknowledging his love of Torah, he chose for his car’s license plate the word halachah. A while back he found himself followed by a driver frantically honking him and motioning him to pull over to the side of the road. Although somewhat frightened, he complied.

The man rushed over to his window to tell him he had to share his amazing experience. His life had recently presented him with some severe setbacks. Despondent, he decided he could no longer believe in God or hope for Divine assistance. He was ready to make a break with his past and his commitment to Judaism. He thought to himself, I’ll give God one more chance. If He really exists and wants me to maintain my faith, then let him send me a sign. “And then suddenly driving in front of me,” he confided, “was the license plate with the word halachah – the Hebrew word for Jewish law. I have to thank you for indirectly being the medium for God’s message, and allowing me to hear his response.”

Was that just coincidence? How wise is the insight that “coincidence is merely God’s way of choosing to remain anonymous.” There are moments when serendipity is too strange to be anything other than the voice of God reinforcing the concept of Seder, order, in our lives.

Question #1: Were there times in your life when it became clear that God intervened – and it was divinely decreed Seder rather than coincidence?

2. A question on the theme of family

If the Seder is so important, a student once asked me, how come it’s observed in the home and not in the synagogue?

The answer was obvious. Precisely because it is so important the Torah made its focus the family rather than the house of God.

The story of the enslavement of the Jews in Egypt lacks one detail. Why did it happen? Was there any sin of the Jews to account for the tragedy? The rabbis weren’t hesitant to give the answer. When the Jews came down to Egypt, they came “every man and his household” (Exodus 1:1). They understood the centrality of the home as the forger of morality and commonly held values. The text then tells us, “and the land became filled with them [the Israelites]” (Exodus, 1:7). The Midrash elaborates: They now filled the land, the circuses and the theaters, and no longer saw their homes as crucial to their spiritual being.

For deliverance to finally come, God demanded that they “take a lamb for family, a lamb for a household” and re-create what they had lost. The Last Supper of Egypt was a family meal, not a communitywide celebration.

At the very beginning of our history it was made clear that appreciating the importance of the home would be the key to our survival. Indeed the very first letter of the Torah, the Rabbis point out, is beit- the Hebrew letter that means “house,” because the Torah itself requires first and foremost commitment to the family.

Question #2: How can we recreate the centrality of family in Jewish life?

3. A question on the theme of children

The Seder revolves almost entirely around the children. The reason is obvious. Passover is the holiday when the Jewish nation was born and it is the time when it must continue to be reborn throughout the generations.

The children are our future. They represent continuity and survival. It is to them we pass over our heritage every Passover.

And that is no easy task. Not all of our children are willing to follow our guidance. Indeed, there are four kinds of sons. There is the wise son and the wicked son, the simple son and the one who does not even know or want to ask.

How do we reach them all? How do we make them appreciate the values that give our lives meaning?

There is a profound message in the way the Haggadah describes them. We contrast the wise son and the wicked. Yet this seems to be an illogical pairing. Wise implies intelligence and learning. Its opposite is ignorant. Similarly, the opposite of wicked is righteous; the emphasis is on character rather than cleverness. We should either speak of the wise son versus the foolish, or the pious son versus the wicked.

The commentators find a profound idea in this seemingly injudicious juxtaposition. The opposite of the wise son is the wicked son because we believe that the ultimate cause of wickedness is an insufficient exposure to wisdom. The wicked son is wicked because we didn’t teach him enough to make him understand the joy of leading a life dedicated to Torah.

We have lost many of our finest youth to assimilation and to a rejection of their heritage.

Our successes are glorious. We delighted to read the heartening article by David Brooks in the New York Times a short time ago titled “The Orthodox Surge” in which he took note of the remarkable resurgence of Jews committed to Torah and Jewish values. Spirituality has become not only acceptable but admired by many.

Yet the “wicked sons” – perhaps primarily because they were not given the opportunities to become wise – form a significant number of the Jewish community.

It’s important to note that they were not cast-off or excluded from the Passover table. We are never allowed to forget them or ignore their presence. We need all of our childrenas part of our nation. And it is they who represent the greatest challenge to our religious commitment.

Question #3: How can we reach – and teach – those of our children we have failed to inspire?

4. A question on the theme of slaughtering the Paschal Lamb

The requirement for Jews being saved in the Passover story was to slaughter a lamb and to smear its blood on the doorpost so God would “pass over” that home and spare its inhabitants.

What was the meaning of this seemingly bizarre ritual? The lamb was the national god of Egypt. It was the object of their worship. And for the Jews to deserve deliverance they had to prove they didn’t share the false idols of the Egyptians.

Idolatry didn’t end with ancient paganism. Francis Bacon popularized the concept of “idols of the marketplace”. They are the false gods people in every generation and culture mistakenly worship.

Contemporary society offers us countless examples. Americans worship at the altar of monetary success and fame. Movie stars who flaunt immorality are shamelessly deified. Business tycoons are the modern heroes of our age solely by virtue of their billions. For all too many, the only god is Mammon and the only goal in life is to accumulate more wealth than others because “he who dies with the most toys wins.”

It takes profound courage to go against the popular definition of success. It takes great spiritual strength to deny the superficial allure of a hedonistic lifestyle. It takes incredible valor to choose a life of value over the vanities of the trendy and fashionable tastemakers of our culture.

But that’s exactly what the Jews of Egypt had to do in order to be worthy of the miracle of the first Passover that allowed us to become God’s chosen people. They had to slaughter the lamb of Egyptian idolatry. Our challenge is to replicate their heroism in its contemporary format.

Question #4: What are the most powerful idols of our day that challenge us to refute them in our quest for lives worthy of God’s deliverance and blessings?

May our discussions at the Seder table bring us greater insight into resolving these four major challenges to our faith – and help us to hasten the time of final redemption.

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About the Author

Rabbi Benjamin Blech, a frequent contributor to Aish, is a Professor of Talmud at Yeshiva University and an internationally recognized educator, religious leader, and lecturer. Author of 14 highly acclaimed books with combined sales of over a half million copies, his newest, The World From A Spiritual Perspective, is a collection of over 100 of his best Aish articles. See his website at www.benjaminblech.com.

Visitor Comments: 11

I have a hard time believing that GOD would send down the angel of death to kill (innocent) children, first born of Egyptians.

(8)
Anonymous,
March 24, 2013 2:13 AM

When?

During what part of the seder would you suggest sharing these

(7)
David Yoom,
March 24, 2013 1:41 AM

Did the Israelites share in Egypt's false gods?

In number 4: Did the Israelites sacrifice the lamb in order to prove they didn't share the false idols of Egypt? I believe, rather, that it was to show DEFIANCE of the false idols. In other words, by slaughtering an object of Egyptian veneration, our ancestors said, in effect, "We no longer fear you as our masters," and not, "We no longer believe in your idols." Note that Francis Bacon's "idols of the marketplace" has nothing to do with Rabbi Blech's interpretation thereof. You can look it up easily enough.

(6)
Rambamologist,
March 22, 2013 11:29 PM

Incorrect on religion, incorrect on non-religion

Rabbi Blech writes, "The events of our lives follow a script written by God." This contradicts the idea of free will, which Maimonides calls central to the Jewish faith.Rabbi B. writes: " The existential meaningless of life viewed from an atheist’s perspective is replaced by the faith of a believer...."Not true. Thoughtful atheists create their own meaning of life. I'm a proud Jew -- in fact, I'm a rabbi -- but I recognize, e.g., Camus and Russell as people who carved out for themselves lives of tremendous meaning.

Sylvia,
March 25, 2013 2:59 PM

A respectful reply: What truly gives our lives meaning...

The existential meaningless life is a life lived for oneself...a heart after ones own wants instead of a heart after God. Do we measure a true meaningful life after what the world would call meaningful, or after what God would find meaningful? Are they living with a passionate heart for Torah that leads and guides their every step as they love God with everything in their being and love others? Isn't this, Rabbi, what brings meaning to life, and anything outside of that is merely a life of existence? A life of existence can accomplish many things, but in light of Torah, does it truly possess the meaning of life as God deems for us? To me, what Rabbi Blech is describing is the difference between a diamond and cubic zirconia...one is radiant, full of brilliance, extremely valuable and rare which corresponds with a beautiful, robust life set apart for God, versus the cubic zirconia which is dull in appearance and lacks luster and shine because it is a life that doesn't reflect His light because it is set for common use; it is a life that doesn't recognize its true worth and value in God, but looks for its value in itself. It is not a meaningless life that God desires for us, but a life full of meaning, full of radiance, full of brilliance...a life reflective of Him.

Rambamologist,
March 28, 2013 5:13 AM

My thoughts for Sylbia

Hi Sylvia,
First of all, R. Blech's view is not, to me, a life set apart for God. It is rather a life controlled by God. I believe Rambam would disagree with R; Blech.
As to your specific point: I don't see that agnostics or atheists necessarily lead empty lives. Some nonbelievers are fantastic people with fantastic values.

(5)
Chaiah Schwab,
March 22, 2013 8:41 PM

Thank you!

I printed it out so as to be able to use it for discussion at the Seder and the many Pesach meals. Terrific! Thank you! And a Chag Kosher V'Sameach and how about a prayer for the Geulah Shleimah as well!

(4)
ami,
March 22, 2013 12:10 AM

that,s a really nice D'var Torah (questions)

(3)
eli,
March 21, 2013 6:40 PM

brilliant work

even though i my self am a rabbi i find ur articles very interesting,

(2)
Mike Freeman,
March 21, 2013 4:17 PM

"Halacha" licence plate

They're called vanity plates for a reason. I can think of few bigger wastes of money than this. Why not spend this money on tzedakah?

(1)
JLG,
March 17, 2013 4:28 PM

Fantastic Article!

This article makes you think!

Question 3 Re How do we inspire those we failed to inspire. AISH has done a wonderful job of that, making Torah relevant. I think that we do walk around with an assumption that in order for people to connect and grow, we actively have to DO things. Sometimes its removing spiritual blockages and making sure that we simply DON'T do things in order to have people connect. For instance, when you invite someone over for Shabbos, there aren't all the distractions of the world - music, cell phones ringing, buzzing, honking, fancy stores, etc. People can literally just think, and you hope (as was my story), that people will connect and investigate further.

The last question is an interesting one - Hollywood Stars and other modern day Deities come and go. But, at the end of the day modern day society's worship of these false idols will only terminate when our values change. If our values are centred around beauty, then yes, we will see what pleases us (i.e. good looking stars and a focus on aesthetics). If we change our values and honour people who are wise, people who have courage, people who treat others in a dignified manner, than those idols will vanish. Why? Because the people who hold those values would be thoroughly abhorred at anybody trying to "worship them" and would shun the publicity and the autographs and the paparazzi, etc etc.

I live in rural Montana where the Cholov Yisrael milk is difficult to obtain and very expensive. So I drink regular milk. What is your view on this?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Jewish law requires that there be rabbinic supervision during the milking process to ensure that the milk comes from a kosher animal. In the United States, many people rely on the Department of Agriculture's regulations and controls as sufficiently stringent to fulfill the rabbinic requirement for supervision.

Most of the major Kashrut organizations in the United States rely on this as well. You will therefore find many kosher products in America certified with a 'D' next to the kosher symbol. Such products – unless otherwise specified on the label – are not Cholov Yisrael and are assumed kosher based on the DOA's guarantee.

There are many, however, do not rely on this, and will eat only dairy products that are designated as Cholov Yisrael (literally, "Jewish milk"). This is particularly true in large Jewish communities, where Cholov Yisrael is widely available.

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein wrote that under limited conditions, such as an institution which consumes a lot of milk and Cholov Yisrael is generally unavailable or especially expensive, American milk is acceptable, as the government supervision is adequate to prevent non-kosher ingredients from being added.

It should be added that the above only applies to milk itself, which is marketed as pure cow's milk. All other dairy products, such as cheeses and butter, may contain non-kosher ingredients and always require kosher certification. In addition, Rabbi Feinstein's ruling applies only in the United States, where government regulations are considered reliable. In other parts of the world, including Europe, Cholov Yisrael is a requirement.

There are additional esoteric reasons for being stringent regarding Cholov Yisrael, and because of this it is generally advisable to consume only Cholov Yisroel dairy foods.

In 1889, 800 Jews arrived in Buenos Aires, marking the birth of the modern Jewish community in Argentina. These immigrants were fleeing poverty and pogroms in Russia, and moved to Argentina because of its open door policy of immigration. By 1920, more than 150,000 Jews were living in Argentina. Juan Peron's rise to power in 1946 was an ominous sign, as he was a Nazi sympathizer with fascist leanings. Peron halted Jewish immigration to Argentina, introduced mandatory Catholic religious instruction in public schools, and allowed Argentina to become a haven for fleeing Nazis. (In 1960, Israeli agents abducted Adolf Eichmann from a Buenos Aires suburb.) Today, Argentina has the largest Jewish community in Latin America with 250,000, though terror attacks have prompted many young people to emigrate. In 1992, the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires was bombed, killing 32 people. In 1994, the Jewish community headquarters in Buenos Aires was bombed, killing 85 people. The perpetrators have never been apprehended.

Be aware of what situations and behaviors give you pleasure. When you feel excessively sad and cannot change your attitude, make a conscious effort to take some action that might alleviate your sadness.

If you anticipate feeling sad, prepare a list of things that might make you feel better. It could be talking to a specific enthusiastic individual, running, taking a walk in a quiet area, looking at pictures of family, listening to music, or reading inspiring words.

While our attitude is a major factor in sadness, lack of positive external situations and events play an important role in how we feel.

[If a criminal has been executed by hanging] his body may not remain suspended overnight ... because it is an insult to God (Deuteronomy 21:23).

Rashi explains that since man was created in the image of God, anything that disparages man is disparaging God as well.

Chilul Hashem, bringing disgrace to the Divine Name, is one of the greatest sins in the Torah. The opposite of chilul Hashem is kiddush Hashem, sanctifying the Divine Name. While this topic has several dimensions to it, there is a living kiddush Hashem which occurs when a Jew behaves in a manner that merits the respect and admiration of other people, who thereby respect the Torah of Israel.

What is chilul Hashem? One Talmudic author stated, "It is when I buy meat from the butcher and delay paying him" (Yoma 86a). To cause someone to say that a Torah scholar is anything less than scrupulous in meeting his obligations is to cause people to lose respect for the Torah.

Suppose someone offers us a business deal of questionable legality. Is the personal gain worth the possible dishonor that we bring not only upon ourselves, but on our nation? If our personal reputation is ours to handle in whatever way we please, shouldn't we handle the reputation of our nation and the God we represent with maximum care?

Jews have given so much, even their lives, for kiddush Hashem. Can we not forego a few dollars to avoid chilul Hashem?

Today I shall...

be scrupulous in all my transactions and relationships to avoid the possibility of bringing dishonor to my God and people.

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